Ultrasonic logging-while-drilling calipers are often incorporated into drill strings to determine the shapes and diameters of the boreholes in which they are deployed. These calipers typically use ultrasonic transducers that emit ultrasonic waves in the direction of a borehole wall, and reflected waves are received by the same transducer in a pulse-echo configuration or, alternatively, by other ultrasonic transducers or sensors in a pitch-catch configuration. The collected data is subsequently used for various purposes—for instance, to generate images of the borehole wall. Ultrasonic calipers may be deployed for these and other purposes in a wide variety of drilling and wireline environments.
It should be understood, however, that the specific embodiments given in the drawings and detailed description thereto do not limit the disclosure. On the contrary, they provide the foundation for one of ordinary skill to discern the alternative forms, equivalents, and modifications that are encompassed together with one or more of the given embodiments in the scope of the appended claims.